A Better Life
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Oneshot that follows The Missed Time - Serena knows she's made some mistakes when it comes to Emily. She wants to fix them. She wants the chance to give her sister the best life possible. With a powerful symbol, can Serena manage to give Emily that life, or will she screw up once again?
1. Serena's Symbol

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers: (Super) Samurai. This is purely fan-made.

* * *

Serena woke up to someone pounding on her door. She couldn't remember falling asleep, but given how tired she still was, she was sure she had needed the nap. Pulling herself up from the floor, and wondering why she hadn't walked the extra few steps into her bed, she opened the door. Kevin was standing in the hallway with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?"

Serena nodded her head, "Yeah, why?"

"I thought I heard…" Kevin trailed off as he glanced over her shoulder, into her bedroom. Serena saw he was trying to peek into her room and she glared at him.

"Do you mind?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Kevin. If I weren't okay, don't you think I would tell you?"

"No," Kevin answered honestly with a shake of his head. Serena rolled her eyes and started to close the door.

"Goodbye, Kevin."

"But…"

She cut him off by closing the door and locking it so he couldn't get in. He didn't even bother to try. She could hear his footsteps walking away from her room. She knew he was probably going to share his concerns with the others, but she didn't care.

Rubbing her eyes, she walked to where she had fallen asleep and she picked up her Samuraizer and a piece of paper. She had copied the symbol from the book down on a sheet of blank paper and then returned the book so no one would know what she was up to. She didn't think she was doing anything wrong, but she knew if the others found out, they would try to convince her to stop.

But she wanted to help. She needed to help. She would never forgive herself if she didn't help. She had asked so much of Emily, and she had taken so much away from Emily that she needed to give something back. She needed to make Emily's life better. It didn't matter what Emily told her, because Serena knew the truth. Emily had had a heart-to-heart with Mia, where she had shared her feelings to the pink Ranger in a way she never would have shared with Serena.

"_Serena basically went from being my mom and being there for me whenever I needed her, to too busy to…"_

_"Play dress up with you during the day."_

Too busy. Those words hurt Serena in a way she never thought they would. At two years old, Emily thought her sister was too busy for her. That there wasn't enough time in a day for Serena to waste any on Emily. That there were more important things for Serena to do than spend even a moment with her only sister.

She knew what that felt like. When Emily had been born, Serena had felt a bit neglected by her parents. They were always fussing over the new baby. Everyone fussed over Emily. They all wanted to play with Emily, and cuddle with Emily, and hold Emily, and feed Emily, and there was never any time for Serena. Never any attention for Serena. It had hurt her, and it had hurt her badly, but after a while – definitely not after sixteen years, though – Ellie started to pick up on Serena's hurt. So Ellie had taken Serena aside one day and she had explained everything. Serena learned why there was so much attention on Emily, and why there was less time for her. It was that day Serena learned just how fragile her baby sister really was, and how much help and guidance she was going to need in her life. Serena knew she needed to protect her sister, and give her the best life possible. Back then, Serena thought she was going to be yellow Ranger, and Emily could live a normal life. Serena wanted that for Emily. She wanted to give her sister everything she didn't have.

Looking down at the piece of paper, Serena knew it was time. She had been practicing this symbol for a while now and was certain she had it perfect. With a shaky hand, uncertain of how exactly this would work, Serena lifted her Samuraizer and started to trace the symbol. Very carefully she traced out each line, making sure not to make a mistake. When it was complete, she stared at it for a moment. This was it. With a strong swipe, she spun the symbol, activating it. The symbol disappeared into the air and Serena closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what would happen, but it had worked. She could feel it.

After a few moments of waiting, she opened her eyes and left her room. She walked carefully down the hall, joining the others in the common room. Mike and Antonio were playing a video game – a racing one by the looks of it. Kevin and Mia were going over their wedding plans, working out a few of the kinks and getting excited for after they defeated Xandred, when they could really get things started. Mia, obviously, was more excited than Kevin.

Jayden, Antonio, and Emily were playing keep-away with Storm. They were rolling a ball back and forth between each other while Storm tried to catch it. They rolled the ball so quickly that Storm could never quite get it, and they changed directions so Storm never knew where to go next. Watching as Storm ran around like a lunatic was funny, but Serena paid no attention to the dog, nor the wedding plans, nor the video games. Her eyes were focused on Emily.

"You wanna play?" Emily held up the ball. Serena shook her head.

"No, just watching."

"Playing is better," Emily insisted with a grin. Serena refused again and then glanced at the time on the wall. She had to wonder how long it would take the symbol to take effect, if it hadn't already, but so far, everything seemed normal.

"Emily, how do you feel?" Serena asked and for Emily it was out of the blue. She looked to her sister curiously and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Normal. You?"

"I'm fine," Serena nodded. She caught the stare Kevin was giving her and assumed he was finding this behaviour strange as well. She just brushed him off.

Suddenly, Emily snatched the ball as it rolled by and got up to her feet. She looked at Storm excitedly.

"Wanna walk?"

Storm started to bounce and ran for the door. She knew her leash would be hanging there and was ready to get it on and go out the door. No matter what time of day it was, she was ready for a walk.

"Mike…"

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Mike waved her off, "Storm hates me anyways. Go have fun. I'll see you in a few."

Emily gave him a kiss on the cheek while trying not to distract him too much. It was his game time and she knew better than to interrupt. She followed Storm to the hallway to get ready for the walk.

"Serena," Kevin looked to her strangely again, "are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look like you have something to hide," Kevin said. Mia looked curiously between the two and then shrugged.

"Kevin, leave her alone and help me pick colours. I don't want to do pink and blue. That's for baby showers when you don't know the sex. I want something nicer."

"I'll go with Emily," Serena pointed over her shoulder and followed her sister. Once Storm was on her leash and Emily had a plastic bag and a water bottle, they were ready to go. Serena checked her Samuraizer quickly as they walked out the door. She had definitely cast the symbol, and it had definitely worked, but so far nothing seemed different. Was it possible Emily was actually living the best and happiest life possible? Was there really nothing Serena could do to help her sister? Was this it?

Those questions raced through Serena's mind for almost the entire walk – until they made it to one of the business intersections in the city. Serena knew Emily wanted to take Storm to the leash-free park, and to get there, they needed to cross this crazy intersection. Not only was it the busiest, but it seemed to be where drivers were at their stupidest as well.

A bad feeling started to bubble in Serena's stomach. Growing up in the country, busy intersections like these were rare. In fact, the busiest intersection in Serena's hometown was a four way stop sign, where you usually had to wait for a tractor to crawl by before you could go. Though Serena had learned to navigate through the big city, the chaos still had a way of freaking her out.

"We should detour," Serena touched Emily's arm, "You know, cross at the next set of lights and then come back up."

"Serena, people cross this intersection everyday. As long as we obey the road signs we should be fine."

"But…" Serena started but the light turned green and it was safe for pedestrians to cross. The crowd started to move, and Emily started to go with them. Serena found herself standing still and to her surprise, Storm refused to move as well. She started to whine – like she was scared of something.

"C'mon, Storm. We're going to the park," Emily pulled on the leash but Storm would budge. She pulled back and the leash slipped out of Emily's hand. Serena quickly stepped on it and then picked it up so Storm couldn't run off. Given the chance, Serena knew the dog would love to explore the city.

Emily rolled her eyes and started to back into the middle of the street. By now, most people had made it across, and the warning to get off the streets was flashing.

"C'mon, you two. It's not like we don't get enough exercise. We don't need to detour. We can just…"

Emily never finished her sentence. A car, desperate to turn left before the light was red, swerved over almost as fast as he could – much faster than he should have been going. All Serena could do was watch as the driver ran his car right into Emily and then it was like time slowed down and sped up all at once. Serena watched the impact happen in slow motion, but before she knew it, her sister was on the street, very badly injured. The car that hit her came to a screeching stop, and the car behind him was forced the break quickly as well to avoid another accident. Before Serena could will her body to move, she saw a symbol, the same symbol she had used, leave her sister's body.

"EMILY!" she screamed as loud as she could, like it was going to make any difference. Without thinking of her own safety, she ran out into the streets and fell to her knees next to Emily. On the sidewalks and in their cars, people were already calling 911.

Serena touched her sister's face. There was blood everywhere. Emily's eyes were open and she was struggling to breathe. It seemed she knew exactly what had happened. When she saw Serena, she locked eyes with her sister and then that was it. She didn't move at all except to keep her focus on Serena.

"I'm not going anywhere," Serena promised her. She could hear the ambulance sirens in the background already. They were on their way. Help would be there soon. "You're going to be okay, Emy."

It took a lot of strength, but Emily managed to shake her head back and forth. She knew she wouldn't be okay. Serena let out a sob and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Emy, yes. Don't you dare give up…"

Emily looked miserable, but then she gave Serena a comforting squeeze and forced her lips to smile.

"Em…" before Serena could say it, Emily's body was limp. The ambulance, at this point, was fighting its way through traffic, but Serena knew they were already too late. She closed her sister's eyes and just stared at her until the paramedics finally made it over. Though Emily was dead, they started to work on her. Serena got up and walked off to the sidewalk. Storm was sitting dutifully, waiting on news. Serena sat beside her on the curb and then pulled the dog into a hug. At that moment, someone came over with a blanket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Do you want me to call someone for you?" it was a police officer who had seen Serena leaving Emily's side. Serena shook her head. If anyone was going to tell the Samurai what had happened, it would be her. She pulled out her Samuraizer and then felt like smashing it against the street. It was the Samuraizer's fault. If it didn't exist, Serena never would have used the symbol that apparently killed her sister. But she held it together long enough to make the call.

Jayden would be the best to tell the news. Mike would be too heartbroken, Mia would start crying before she could tell the others. Kevin would be pissed, and Antonio… Serena wasn't sure how he would react. But Jayden was leader. All his life, he had been preparing himself for this news.

The wait felt like an eternity, but he finally answered and Serena started spilling the news out to him. The words just flooded out of her mouth and she couldn't stop them or the tears. She was crying so hard, she barely heard Jayden's question.

"What were you doing with your sister?"

Serena took a moment and calmed herself down to ask, "What do you mean?"

"The no contact rule, Serena: the most important rule to follow if you want to keep you friends and family safe. What were you doing with your sister? How did you get home so quickly? You just left the house."

"Jay, I went on a walk with Storm and Emily. You were playing with them half an hour ago!"

"I've never met Emily, Serena. Come home, we'll talk about this here."

"Come home?" Serena shouted. She saw Emily's body being loaded into the ambulance and she shook her head, "I'll be at the hospital with my sister. You can meet me there."

"Ser…"

Serena hung up on Jayden and then jumped up and went after the ambulance as the paramedics started to close the door. She insisted she ride with them to the hospital, and then remembered about Storm. She brought the dog into the back of the truck and when the paramedics tried to argue she gave them hell. They trembled in their boots and quickly learned this was not someone to be messed with. For their own safety, they let the mourning sister and the dog ride in the back while they continued to work on Emily, uselessly trying to bring her dead body back to life.


	2. If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Serena woke up by the table holding her sister's dead body. Doctors had done very little to revive her, but they had done more than what they could. Serena didn't blame them for giving up only minutes after starting. Emily had died on the scene.

Once they finished with her body, the doctors gave Serena a chance to say goodbye to Emily. Serena took it, and spent the entire night talking to her sister's dead body, apologizing again and again for all the stupid little mistakes that never should have been made – like this very one. She didn't want Emily to go to a better place. She wanted her sister to have the best life here on earth, with her friends and family. Once again, Serena's stupidity had cost Emily.

Finally able to peel herself away, Serena picked up Storm from the front lobby (the reception was glad the dog was gone. Storm was only inside the building because Serena had snapped). Taking the bus, and ignoring the stares from others because of the blood one her shirt and her pants, Serena finally made it onto the path that led to the Shiba House. There, she dragged her feet and slowly walked home.

When she got home, she didn't bother announcing it, like everyone normally did. She took Storm's collar off and then forced herself to walk the rest of the way to the common room. There, she sat down on Emily's stool and hugged her knees to her chest. She would have cried, but she had done so much of that at the hospital that her body was done. Never before had she felt this run-down.

"Here," Mia handed Serena a pair of yellow pyjamas, "You should get changed."

Serena looked up and then shook her head. In spite of how stiff and dirty and smelly her clothes were now, they were all she had left of Emily. This was Emily's blood – a part of Emily – Serena wouldn't part from it.

"C'mon, Serena. It's a big accident, I know. It's sad, but this stuff happens," Mia sat down next to Serena, "I'll admit, the girl looked a lot like your sister and that probably freaks you out but…"

"It was Emily," Serena frowned at Mia, "What the hell is wrong with you? My sister just died! Our sister just died!"

"Serena…"

"This is her fucking blood!" Serena screamed and gestured to her shirt. "I watched it happen! I was there! I left the house with her! How can you not…?"

"Okay, okay," Mia pulled Serena into a hug, "Okay, shh, I get it."

Serena wanted to pull away, furious with Mia for what she had said, but she couldn't. Now that Emily was gone, Mia was the only sister she had left. Serena hugged Mia tight and then fell asleep in her arms.

When she woke up, she was in her room. She had a quick look around and saw she had been changed into her pyjamas – hopefully by Mia. When she sat up, she saw Storm sitting on the bed. The dog rushed over to her and jumped into her arms for a hug. Storm seemed to be the only one who understood what happened.

"Emily got the life you wanted."

Serena dropped Storm and stared at the small dog, "Excuse me?"

"I bent reality a little bit. Technically, I shouldn't be here."

"What?" Serena rubbed her eyes and then hit the side of her head a couple of times. She had to be dreaming. "You're a dog…"

"I'm the symbol. Well, a part of the symbol," Storm sat down at the foot of the bed and looked Serena in the eyes, "You don't think a symbol this powerful wouldn't come without a little bit of instructions, do you?"

"Instructions?"

"I'm your guide dog!" Storm bounced a little with excitement. "I'll explain to you what's going on, and I'll let you know when it's time to make a choice. This symbol does have an undo."

"I want it," Serena didn't hesitate. She didn't care what the symbol could do anymore; it wasn't worth losing her sister. Storm shook her head.

"You can't undo it now, it's just the start. You need to live out this life for a few days. I'm here to make sure you live it out right."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the other life. This is what would have happened if you never got sick and Emily never had to take your place."

"That's what I wished for?"

"That's what you got. You didn't wish for it. Do I look like a genie to you?"

Serena shrugged her shoulders, "My sister's dead but no one remembers her, and now I'm having a conversation with a dog. Excuse me for mistaking you for a genie."

"Your sister isn't dead," Storm answered with a little smile, "In this life, she never came to the Shiba House, and therefore wasn't in the city when the accident happened. You were walking me when you saw a girl, who looked a lot like Emily, get hit by a car. It'll look like Emily to you, but to the rest of the world she's Katie Stone."

"Stone?"

"I'm not good with last names, okay. Besides, I thought it would be funny because, you know, you're earth and…"

"Just, shut up and tell me where my sister is. If that car hit _Katie_, then what happened to Emily?"

"She's back at your farm, living the normal life. She just graduated high school and is now enjoying her last summer before college starts."

"Can I go see her?"

"I've already made it happen," Storm smirked. "You've gone off the deep end, according to the others, so right now, they're in the common room having a discussion on whether or not it's safe to go to your farm for a few days."

"They… they are?"

"They can't have their yellow Ranger going bat-shit crazy because some girl who looked like her sister just died," Storm chuckled. "Taking you to the farm so you can see for yourself Emily's safe and sound is the best thing they can do for you."

"Wait, yellow Ranger? I'm white."

Storm started to whine and buried her face in her paws, "Humans are so dense. You think too much."

"Storm…"

"You're yellow. Everything here is different. Emily never took your place."

"So what does that mean?"

"There is no white Ranger. In fact, there's no gold, either. Without Emily around, Antonio didn't get the pep talk that convinced him to try and earn his place on the team. He left town."

"What?"

"When Antonio was refused to be a Samurai by Jayden, Mike and Emily went to talk to him and Emily used her story of how she wasn't supposed to be a Ranger either to boost his spirits. Without her, it was just Mike trying to get Antonio to try and win Jayden's heart and he failed miserably. With only one Samurai willing to accept him, Antonio didn't think it was worth it. He left town broken-hearted and there was no gold Ranger."

"But without Antonio…"

"He brought the Octozord back, so you do have that, but there's no Clawzord, no Black Box, no Lightzord…"

"Yeah, I get it," Serena sighed. "So Antonio's gone?"

"Yep. And you never started a relationship with Dekker."

"Really?" Serena asked hopefully. Maybe this could be good.

"He never had to heal you from your illness, because you were never sick. And your duties as yellow Ranger meant you could never be the Elder Guardian at the Tengen Gate, which is where your relationship blossomed. You know him only as your opponent."

"I can…"

"But, if you were never at the Tengen Gate, and if you were never in a relationship with Dekker, then Terran was never born."

"How do you know Terran?" Serena looked to Storm strangely. "You can't know about him. You've never met him."

"I'm a talking dog, Serena. Give me a few liberties."

Serena nodded her head and finally the words sunk in. She didn't have a son, "Wait! Terran…"

"Doesn't exist. Dekker never healed you, you never got to know him to be anything more than the whacko who wanted to duel Jayden. You never started a relationship with him, never slept with him, and therefore, you never conceived Terran. You can bring him up all you like, but the team already thinks you're losing it. We don't want you ending up in a psychiatric hospital."

"So Terran…"

"Never was," Storm nodded. "And because Terran never was, you never needed a job, you never worked at the school, and you never met James."

Serena felt her heart shattering to pieces. Emily wasn't dead anymore, but her son and James were both out of her life. It had never occurred to her just how much her sister had given her. Though her own actions had led to Terran's birth and her meeting and falling in love with James, Storm was right – they had all come from Emily.

"It's not all bad," Storm shrugged, "You don't know Jayden's secret."

"How do you…?"

"Talking dog."

"Right…"

"Jayden told you his secret because of what he did to Emily with her Earth Stone when the Black Box needed to be programed. No Emily, no Antonio, no Black Box, no Earth Stone, no shattered trust, no truth and no need for you to hide anything from the Rangers."

"Is the truth still the truth here, though?"

"Of course. Whether or not you or Emily had turned up, Jayden was always going to have a secret."

"What else should I know about?"

"You'll see," Storm jumped off the bed, "We should probably go interrupt the talk now. I'm sure they're about ready to decide to go to the farm."

Serena nodded her head and followed the dog to the common room. Halfway there she stopped.

"Wait, if Emily's not around, why are you…?"

"I bent reality a little bit. I'm _your_ dog. But Scruffy never existed. Well, he did, but he never lived here. He's with another family."

"Oh," Serena looked down at her feet the rest of the way to the common room. Scruffy was alive here.

"Serena, are you feeling better?" Mia was instantly on her feet and gently guided Serena over to Emily's stool – though Serena now understood it was her stool. Serena nodded her head.

Jayden gave Serena a look. It wasn't soft and gentle. It was more… distant. From his look, she could tell he cared about his team, but not like before.

"You've been away from home for a long time. I understand that. Normally, I wouldn't allow this, but the others have all agreed that after what happened, you need this. We're going to visit your family on the farm. You need to see for yourself that that girl was not Emily."

"She looked so much like her," Serena muttered, knowing she had to play the part now. Though there was no denying she had seen Emily get hit by the car and she had watched Emily die, in this world, it was just a look-a-like.

"You need to know, contact with your family will put them in serious danger."

"I know."

"We'll get packed then, I guess," Kevin shrugged his shoulders and got up. He was followed by the others as they went to pack their suitcases for the trip. Serena got up as well and walked to her room with Storm.

Storm jumped up on her bed as Serena pulled out a suitcase from the closet.

"I'm going to warn you now, this is the best I could do."

"What do you mean?" Serena turned to the dog, "What's wrong?"

"You want Emily to be the same person. I can't make her the same person and change everything about how she grew up. She had a point the other day. That's impossible, even for a talking dog."

"So, what does that mean?"

"Emily will be the sister you know. She'll be all smiles, like you want, like she usually is, but this world is different."

"The whole point of this world is for her to have a better life."

"Was it really Emily who needed the better life?" Storm asked and lay down on the bed. "She told you the other day she was happy. She told you she loved the life she had. She may have had a few hardships on the way, but they gave her everything she ever hoped for. I can't really improve on that."

"She also told Mia I neglected her."

"No she didn't. She said that, for a while, you were too busy to play with her. Which is true. You were. I couldn't change that, either. You're the family Samurai. You needed all the training you could get."

"If you didn't change that…"

"I changed the fact that you never got sick. Emily never needed to start training to take your place. Emily never took your place. Her life is different because your life is different."

"What?"

"There was nothing wrong with her life, Serena. The faults came from you. I can't fix what wasn't broken. No symbol, no matter how powerful, can fix what isn't broken."

"And that means?"

"This is _your _alternate life, Serena. They are _your _insecurities, after all."


	3. The Farm

Serena sat in the back of the van, pondering over what Storm had told her. The symbol hadn't done anything to change Emily's life. Instead, the symbol had changed Serena's, and that had a strong influence over Emily's life. Many of the mistakes Serena made when it came from Emily were all rooted to the same cause: her illness. Had she not gotten sick, she knew a lot wouldn't have happened the way it did, and assumed life would be better. Storm – or rather, the symbol – was giving her the chance to see if she did prefer a life without illness, or if she wanted to go back to reality. She had a few days to decide.

"You weren't kidding when you said you come from a small town," Mike had his nose pressed against the window as the van drove by wide open spaces. Serena knew it to be land for the farmers, but to the others, it was all nothing. There was nothing around.

Looking to the front, Serena watched all her friends, and was starting to pick up on littler differences in their personalities. It was amazing to see all the small things that were different without Emily, and how big an impact they made on the whole team dynamic.

Jayden was cold and distant. He had grown close to his team, but there was still somewhat of a wall between him and them. Serena couldn't exactly explain why, but assumed that without Emily's bubbly, always happy demeanour, and Antonio around to pull Jayden out of his shell, he stayed the same old Jayden Serena had always heard the others talk about.

Kevin hadn't changed too much in who he was, seeing as a lot of his personality came from his own growth and spending time around Mia, but his relationship with Mike was completely different. Without Emily as a common ground between the two, there seemed to be nothing to bring them together. Serena had heard that Kevin had been protective of Emily when he first heard Mike had a thing for her, and that he thought Mike wasn't good enough for her because Mike was a selfish, lazy, reckless, mess. Without Emily around, Mike never got the chance to show off his kind, warm, thoughtful self. He never got the chance to prove to Kevin that when he wanted to, he could get his head in the game and he could be one of the best Samurai the world had ever seen. Without Emily, Mike didn't have to try at all.

Without Emily, Mike was still the reckless, rebelling, green Samurai that pushed everyone's buttons. He did what he could to help, but that was it. When the going would get tough, Mike would get going. He had no reason to stay. Jayden was distant, Kevin didn't believe in him, and Mia wasn't as nurturing as she used to be.

Mia had change quite a bit, Serena had noticed. It seemed that without a little sister to look out for and guide at the start of her Samurai career, she was a lot more reserved before everyone except for Kevin. Though Mia did have a Ranger sister in Serena, it was much different than what she had with Emily because Serena was older, she was stronger, and she was a lot more confident. Unlike Emily, she hadn't needed to be taken under Mia's wing. Mia rarely felt the need to mommy the group, never bonded with any of the boys except for Kevin, and was withdrawn from all of them.

Had this just been an experiment for fun, Serena would try this out with each of the Samurai. What would Mike be like if Kevin never existed? What would Jayden do without Mia? Would Kevin be a better leader than Jayden? Would Mia feel completely useless on a team without a goofball like Mike for her to occasionally reel back in?

And where would Antonio be? Was it really just because of Emily that he was on the team, or was it a full effort bringing him in, and Emily's pep-talk was just an important part of that effort? It was all very interesting.

"You could try it out on everyone," Storm crawled up on Serena's lap. Serena had learned that while she could hear the dog speak, no one else could. To them, Storm was just a regular dog.

Serena jumped a little at Storm's voice. She was still getting used to the fact that Storm could read her thoughts. Then she shook her head and sighed. All she wanted now was to go home to her reality.

"It's not all bad," Storm insisted. "This team does work well together. You, Jayden, Kevin, and Mia are improving each and every day, and you're taking out Nighlok much faster than you did in the other world. Because you came, and you were so far ahead in your training, you forced the team to train harder and push themselves a lot harder than Emily did. At first, she held them back."

"Just shut up," Serena whispered.

"And your sister is safe and sound back home. With her parents keeping an eye on her. She's not in danger."

"Really, the team is no less happy than any other team was. They are friends. They do have fun together. It's just not as… family-like as you remember."

"Serena," Kevin looked into the rear-view mirror as the car came to a stop, coincidentally, at the busy stop sign Serena had compared the city intersection to right before Emily had gotten killed. Today there was no traffic, so she told Kevin to take a left and he went without any problems. No accidents, no stray pedestrians. Not even any stray livestock. No one died as he took a left.

"Alright, who farted?" Mia rolled down her window and plugged her nose, "Seriously, we're almost there, Mike. You couldn't wait?"

"Dude, I did not fart! That wasn't me!"

"It smells nasty," Kevin also had to roll down his window, "This is why I told you that stop at Taco Bell was a bad idea. But you insisted."

"For once, will you guys stop blaming me…"

"It's the manure," Serena said. "Someone just laid down manure."

"Manure is poop, right?" Jayden looked over his shoulder at Serena. She nodded her head.

"And it's excellent for plants. The earth has a way of taking care of itself. It feeds the animals, and then they feed the earth," Serena explained and then told Kevin to take a right.

The rest of the drive continued in near-silence, with only a few complaints of the smell. Finally, Kevin pulled onto Serena's family farm and stopped the van by her father's truck. The Rangers got out of the van and looked around in awe at the scene. Serena, meanwhile, looked around for her sister.

"Emily's out," she heard her mother say and turned around to see her coming from the house. She had her apron on, which meant she had been at work. While her father spent most of his days in the field, tending to the plants and animals, her mother usually worked in the house, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the girls.

"CHICKENS!" Serena heard Storm shout and instantly the dog took off running, chasing the chickens like the hunter she was born to be.

"Don't kill them!" Serena called to Storm and then looked to her mother. Ellie did not seem very happy.

"I don't recall there being a big, final battle with the Nighlok," she said. "Why are there five Samurai Rangers on my property?"

"Serena needs some time at home," Jayden then went on to explain the accident that happened in Panorama city, and how it had shaken Serena up badly. When he told Ellie they brought her home for a few days so she could see Emily was okay, and the girl who had gotten hit only looked like her, Ellie invited them in. It was as good a reason as any for breaking the rules, and she would never turn her back on her daughter. When she said that, Serena scoffed. Then she remembered Terran didn't exist, and the fight between her and her mother had never happened. Ellie had never abandoned Serena or Emily.

"It's another good thing," Storm came back from chasing the chickens and walked beside Serena, "Emily will never know what it's like to have her mother abandon her."

Serena thought back to Emily's week of silence and remembered how tortured her sister had been. It was definitely a good thing.

"She also never met Frankie," Storm added, "And she never punched Howie. She never had to worry about losing you…"

"I'm a Samurai."

"You're the best samurai she's ever known. She's confident you'll come home. She's also never had to worry about Dekker, or Serrator, or Dayu."

"Yeah, yeah, I know life is better here…"

"I never said that," Storm shook her head; "I said those were good things. There's a difference."

"When the good here outweighs the good there, no it's not."

Ellie invited the Samurai to sit on the couches in the living room and then offered them a drink and something to eat. It was a long drive from the Shiba House and she would be damned if her guests didn't feel cared for.

"So, where is Emily?" Mia asked as she was handed a slice of apple pie. Serena could feel herself starting to salivate as she waited for her plate to come around. Based on the smell, her mother's apple pie was no different here than back home.

"She went out with a group of kids from her school."

Serena choked on her water as she drank it. Emily was hanging out with other kids? Emily had never been accepted by her friends, no matter how many times Serena had tried to intervene. She couldn't imagine how bad the bullying would have gotten if Serena had been cut from Emily's life completely. At least when she had been sick she had still been someone who Emily could talk to and ask for advice.

"A lot of things changed after you left," Ellie finally handed Serena her slice of pie. "Emily said she started getting along with the kids at school a lot more."

"Don't believe everything you hear," Storm muttered to Serena.

"I always told you, Serena, you've got to give Emily a chance to grow. She's flourished since you've left. All the kids in town are asking her out every night."

"So, she's out with her friends right now, and not hit by a car?" Kevin asked and then gave Mike a dirty look for holding his plate out and asked for seconds. The green Ranger had wolfed the pie down like he hadn't eaten in months.

"No," Ellie shook her head while she grabbed Mike's plate, more than happy to give him another piece. "You're in more danger of getting trampled by a herd of cowst than hit by a car when you're out here."

"Kids are idiots," Kevin was still staring at Mike.

Ellie shook her head again, "But the drivers here are not. Besides, it's rare kids ever need to cross the busy roads. Most just walk along the dirt paths until they reach town and there everyone's careful. As for the drivers, news spreads quickly around here, and you don't want your neighbours speaking poorly of you for hitting someone."

"What busy roads?" Mike looked up from his plate, "The most traffic we ran into here was when cows crossed the road, and given how slow they were going, I don't think anyone's in danger of being trampled by them."

"You would be surprised," Ellie chuckled. Then the door opened and all eyes turned to see who was coming into the house.

"I'm home!" Serena recognized Emily's voice immediately and jumped out of her seat. She raced across the house to meet up with Emily, who noticed her running and met her halfway. Emily jumped into Serena's arms and neither looked like they wanted to let the other go.

"See, Serena," Mia said as she and the other Samurai joined the girls in the kitchen, "Emily's safe and sound. It was Katie Stone you saw. Not your sister."

"What are you doing home?" Emily pulled away from Serena just a little bit to look at her. "You're supposed to be at the Shiba House."

"I came home to see you, squirt," Serena hugged her sister again. Though she knew the accident was no longer real, for her it was. Watching Emily die had hurt her, and getting her back again felt like a second chance.

"Serena can explain why she's home over dinner," Ellie said. "Emily, come help me set the table for our guests. Serena, why don't you show your team around the farm. I'm sure they would love a tour."


	4. Emily's Life

Over dinner, Serena got caught up on what had been going on in Emily's life in the last two years, and for the first time since this symbol spell had started, she could not know something and not look like an idiot.

However, she felt like an idiot. It seemed the time without her sister had really gotten Emily to blossom into her own person. With Serena out of the picture, Emily found her own way through the remaining years of high school; she had made her own friends, and was going out every night. She even had a boyfriend whom she spoke very highly of, though Serena thought it was weird that Emily was dating someone other than Mike. Fortunately, there was some normalcy as Mike seemed to be a little jealous. It looked like he had a little crush on the second-string yellow.

"Is there a universe where they don't have feelings for each other?" Serena whispered to Storm as she fed the dog a piece of steak from her plate. Storm shook her head.

"When it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Bigger pieces, please. Your dad makes a mean steak."

When dinner was done, Serena and Emily both offered to clear the plates while Ellie and Jack insisted the Rangers stay a couple of nights at the farm. At first they were hesitant, but Serena noticed Storm doing a little dance (it looked a lot like she was chasing her tail, though) and suddenly they all agreed. Serena knew why Storm was doing this. She needed time to see what changes she had made by not being sick. The only way to know the truth was if she spent a little time with Emily. Serena wasn't happy to lose Terran or James, but if life was truly better here, she could make a new family. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't know where to find James. Without her in his life, Marissa never would have gotten jealous and never would have posted the pictures of her and James, and James never would have quit the school. He was likely still working there, and hopefully still single. And Storm's words did echo in Serena's mind. If she and James were meant to be, a relationship between them would happen in this universe.

She would miss Terran though. She already did. But even without his Nighlok life, he was still in for a rough road. Nothing would ever change the fact that his father was Dekker. Maybe it was all for the best.

"So, things have really been working out for you, huh?" Serena handed her sister a dish to dry. Emily nodded her head and stared at the dish as she wiped it down with a towel.

"Yeah. It took a little while, but it turns out you were right. People started to see the real me."

"I'm proud of you, Emily. I really am. You like how things are going for you?"

"Yeah," Emily still didn't look Serena in the eye, even to receive another dish. "I mean, I've got a great boyfriend, amazing friends, my sister's an awesome Samurai Ranger, so she's practically a hero. What more could I ask for?"

_"I have an amazing older sister, and an amazing surrogate for when you do screw up. I have awesome brothers, a beautiful, and much younger nephew, and the most incredible fiancé, and that's all thanks to you."_

Serena knew it wasn't word for word the same, but it was definitely similar. Good friends, good family, and good times all around. It sounded like Emily really was happy.

Dish soap and water made the bowls slippery. As Serena handed Emily another dish to dry, the bowl slipped from both of their hands and shattered on the floor.

"What was that?" Ellie called from upstairs. Serena and Emily both looked to each other in panic. No matter what dimension they were in, their mother would get pissed when a dish was shattered. Don't cry over spilt milk, but the world ends when you break a glass or drop a plate.

"Nothing!" they both cried and then scrambled to pick up the pieces before she could know they were lying. As they hurried to pick up the pieces, Emily, as usual, cut her hand.

"Ow!"

"Here," Serena took the dish towel from the sink and then grabbed Emily's hand. She pulled her a little to bring her hand closer to clean it off, and then noticed a bruise around Emily's wrist, which had been hiding under a long sleeve shirt. Serena hadn't noticed it before, but despite the fact that it was summer, and it was hot, Emily was wearing a long sleeve shirt and pants.

"Farm work," Emily pulled her hand away to take care of her cut. She knew Serena had seen the bruise and she knew her sister would worry. "With you gone, dad has me doing a lot more chores. You can ask him."

"It looked pretty bad. Want a bag of peas?"

"I was the accident prone one, remember?" Emily chuckled, "I know how to take care of my bruises."

"Can I at least have a look at it?"

Emily sighed and then rolled her eyes and her sleeve. Serena examined the bruise and hissed. It was pretty big.

"Lifting saddles," Emily explained. "You know me."

"Be careful," Serena gently poked her sister's nose. "I'm supposed to be the one getting banged up and bruised."

"I'll be careful, I promise," Emily then pointed to the ground, "We should really get this all cleaned up. Mom's not going to believe the bowl just went missing if there are shards of glass on the floor."

"Get a bandage," Serena chuckled, "I'll finish here."

Emily nodded and then gave her sister a kiss on the cheek, "I'm happy you're home."

"You have no idea how happy I am to be home, and with a better you."

"Better?"

"You've done well for yourself, Emy. I really am proud of you."

"Thanks, but…"

"Bandage, Em, before you bleed to death."

Emily nodded her head and hurried out of the room. Serena finished picking up the pieces of the broken bowl and then buried them in a bag in the garbage.

"Maybe you should meet her friends."

Serena turned around and saw Storm walking into the room. She sat down on the floor beside Serena while the yellow-white Ranger finished the dishes.

"People tend to leave rather than come. I'm pretty sure I already know who they are."

"You don't find it weird, at all, that your leaving suddenly means Emily's the most popular girl in town? You heard your mother, she's being asked to hang out with her friends every night."

"I was most popular when I was here," Serena shrugged. "Maybe my little sister takes after me more than you think."

Storm lowered and shook her head, "Serena, the whole point of this little experiment is for you to see what'll happen if you make _your_ life better."

"I don't care about my life," Serena looked down at the dog, "I want her life to be better. So far, it looks like that's it."

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"Emily would never lie to me, and you said she's the same person I know."

"Serena, this life is different because you want it to be different. Emily told you she was happy. You're ignoring her because you're not happy with the way you've treated her. I've erased all that, and now you have to see what you're left with. If you take everything she says at face value, you're more likely to make a bad decision."

"Are you saying she's not happy?"

"I'm here to make sure you're happy. You'll be happy if you make a smart decision, right?"

"Of course."

"Then figure out as much as you can about this world. You wouldn't buy a house without checking out the neighbourhood first, right?"

Serena put the last dish in the sink and nodded, "Alright, but I'm sure Emily can stand on her own two feet. She managed it at the Shiba House without me."

"Does insanity work both ways?"

"What?" Serena looked down at the dog and put her hands on her hips, "I am not…"

"You're doing things differently and hoping for the same results. The Samurai are different people."

"You know, I've got a muzzle in the barn that would fit perfectly around that little mouth of yours," Serena picked up Storm, "I'll ask her if she can introduce me to her friends, but I have confidence in my sister. She's a good judge of character."


	5. Selfish Acts

The following morning, after a restful sleep in her own bed on the farm, Serena was up early eating breakfast. Her father was already working outside with the animals, and her mother was in the kitchen getting everything set up for the day ahead. Serena was in the living room watching a few cartoons on TV with a bowl of cereal in her lap.

With a yawn and a stretch, Mia was next in the room. She had spent the night in a bed with Emily. She had bonded quickly with Serena's little sister and the two had spent most of the night giggling under the blankets even long after Serena fell asleep. Serena was happy to see something closer to what she knew of the old Mia. It seemed the pink Ranger really needed a little sister to pull herself out of her shell. She seemed more in charge and more confident now.

"Your sister's cute," Mia sat down beside Serena on the couch and looked at the TV, "and she really looks up to you."

"I know," Serena smiled.

"I'm worried about her, though."

Alarm bells started to go off in Serena's head. It had been barely a day since Mia and Emily had met and already the pink Ranger was concerned. Emily's life was supposed to be better. Mia shouldn't have had a reason to worry.

"You are?"

"She puts herself down a lot. It's mostly when she compares herself to you."

"What does she say?" Serena put the TV on mute and shifted herself so she was looking at Mia. The pink Ranger shrugged.

"Just that she'll never be a good as you. I asked her to tell me some embarrassing stories about you, you know, for blackmail purposes, and she couldn't come up with a single thing."

"Sisters stick together."

"I mean this is the worst way possible. She made you sound like a goddess, and then told me she would never be as good a person as you."

"Me?" Serena pointed to herself, "I'm a good person? My innocent, sweet, kind, caring, beautiful inside and out baby sister thinks I'm the good person between the two of us?"

"Good judge of character?" Storm whispered from her spot on Jack's chair. Serena shushed her.

"I'm not saying you're not," Mia shrugged her shoulders, "It's just a little worrisome, you know."

At that moment, Serena and Mia heard someone racing down the stairs. They craned their necks and saw it was Emily. She was gathering up what she had dropped at the door the day before when she saw Serena had come home for a visit.

"Emily, where are you going?" Serena asked, seeing her sister was already dressed and made up for a day in the town. "I'm only here for a little while before I disappear off the face of the planet again."

"I know," Emily called and checked herself in the mirror, "but I promised my friends I'd hang out with them today."

"So cancel. They'll understand."

"Or you could go with her?" Storm suggested.

"I can't," Emily shook her head.

"Why? You got expensive tickets or something?"

"I just can't. Trust me. I'll be home for dinner. We can spend time together then."

"Go with her," Storm suggested again.

Serena rolled her eyes, "Why don't I come with you? I'm sure your friends won't mind."

"You can't. I'll be home for dinner, I promise. I've got to go, I'm already late."

With that, Emily raced out of the house. Serena turned to Mia who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't ask me. She's your sister."

Serena took a deep breath and then looked between Mia and Storm. Storm was trying to convince Serena to take a deeper look into this life, somewhat insisting this was only the candy-coated exterior. At the same time, Mia was putting thoughts into Serena's head that maybe everything wasn't okay.

"You could spy on her?"

"No," Serena shook her head, denying Storm's suggestion. "That'll shatter her trust."

"What?" Mia looked to Serena strangely. "Why are you talking to Storm? Are you sure you're feeling better, Serena? Why don't you go spend the day with Emily?"

"But she said…" Serena trailed off and looked to Storm. The dog smirked innocently. Serena nodded her head as she started to get an understanding of what's going on. "You're in charge of this trial run, aren't you?"

"If you won't listen to the talking dog, maybe you'll listen to a human."

"Fine, I'll spy on her," Serena sighed.

"I said spend the day," Mia now looked very confused. Serena glared at the dog and then turned back to Mia. Storm was really making things complicated.

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Serena nodded. "Do you mind staying here with the boys and my parents? I know it doesn't look like there's much to do but…"

"We'll be fine," Mia insisted. "We're here for you anyways. Go, have fun. Pinch Emily a few times to make sure she's real if you have to."

"Thanks!" Serena cried and raced for the door.

-Samurai-

There wasn't much to do in in town, but if Emily's friends were anything like Serena's old group of friends, they would spend the day just going from place to play, messing around and being teenagers.

When Serena finally caught up to Emily, she noticed Emily was wearing different clothes from when she had left the house. Serena ducked behind bushes. Having not been invited to join, she didn't think it would be appropriate to intrude on Emily's day.

"Missing something?" Storm's voice nearly gave Serena's a heart attack. She put her hand on her chest and jumped, spinning around slightly.

"Don't do that!"

"Sorry, I just thought you would want me here to explain a few things," Storm pulled a bag – Emily's bag – into the bushes and into Serena's reach. She picked it up and saw that inside was Emily's clothes.

"Where did you get theses?"

"See, I was needed here," Storm smirked. "Emily got changed a couple miles back. She does it every time she hangs out with her friends."

"Why?"

"So no one is the wiser," Storm answered and then gestured in Emily's direction, "She's going into the shop. Use a symbol to create a handheld mirror."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Serena pulled out her Samuraizer and did as she was told. She made a small mirror and then used it to reflect the sunlight into Storm's eyes. She chuckled as Storm tried to get away.

"Stop it! This is serious business. You're from a town where everyone knows everyone's business. You can't walk around and not expect to get recognized or caught. We're spending the day here, and that mirror will show you everything Emily does today."

Serena looked into the mirror. Storm wasn't lying. Serena could see everything that was happening. Emily and her friends were in the general store and seemed to be picking out snacks and drinks; enough to last them a full day. Emily, though, was standing by herself by the counter, where the owner, Mr. Crow, was watching over the teens. Then he looked to Emily.

"You'll be paying for them again?"

"I buy here," Emily nodded her head, "They cover for other stuff."

"What else could you need?" Mr. Crow asked as the group dropped their supply of candies, chocolates, chips and soft drinks on the counter.

"Just, other stuff."

Mr. Crow nodded suspiciously and rang up all the items while Emily's friends all laughed and talked amongst themselves, excluding Emily.

"Sixty dollars even," Mr. Crow looked to Emily. She looked down at her pockets and pulled out a couple of bills.

"I've got fifty."

"Emily, you knew about this picnic for weeks," one of her friends, whom Serena recognized as Stephanie, scoffed, "You're doing this on purpose."

"I've been trying to save up," Emily insisted sadly. "Do you guys really need three big bags of chips?"

Mr. Crow looked to Emily sympathetically. He had always had a soft spot for her. Like most of the kids who came into his shop, he had watched her grow up – but she had always been special. He remembered her coming into the store with her sister whenever she had collected enough change in her piggy bank. She would always buy herself a candy bar. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she handed him all the nickels, dimes and quarters. Paying for her own treat made her feel like a grown up. And she was always polite. She would say hello, she would ask him how he was doing, and then would wish him a good day and promise to come back once she saved up enough money. Mr. Crow had eventually figured out how long it took her to earn herself enough money and would always keep a candy bar behind his counter just for her. He called it _Little Emily's Special Candy Bar_. It made her eyes light up even more.

"Look, I'll tell you want," Mr. Crow said, "You give me fifty and we'll call it even."

"I'll pay you back…"

"You're a loyal customer, Em," Mr. Crow shook his head, "The difference is on me. Have a great day with your friends."

He bagged up their snacks. As usual, Emily wished him a good day and then thanked him for his generosity. When she was out of the store, Mr. Crow shook his head sadly.

"Poor kid."

Serena looked away from the mirror and over to Storm, "What exactly is going on?"

"Just a typical day with her friends. I'm actually surprised Emily's got fifty dollars."

"What do you mean?"

"Her friends never spend a dime. Now, I'm just a dog, but if my calculations are correct, since Emily's friends each owe her four hundred and seventy six dollars, and thirty nine cents."

"You're kidding."

"Not a dime," Storm nodded.

"Why?"

"Because you changed everything. You didn't screw up Emily's life because you got sick and forced her to take her place. Now she's home, safe and sound with her parents. She doesn't have to worry about the Nighlok, doesn't have to fight for her life, and doesn't have to train night and day for the impending battle against the big, nasty Master Xandred. That's what_ you_ wanted, right?"

"I wanted her to be happier."

"You're not getting it," Storm seemed to be getting really annoyed now. "She was happy, Serena! You're the one who was miserable."

"No, I…"

"You're the one who was disappointed. You're the one who felt left down. You're the one who wanted things to change. Now things are different. You didn't make the mistakes you wish you never made."

"I wanted her happy!"

"You wanted yourself to be happy. You didn't cast that symbol for Emily, you did it for yourself. Now your life is how you want it."

"If it was for me, then why am I not happy?"

Storm finally smiled, "That's the big question now, isn't it? Look into the mirror again."

Serena did as she was told and looked into the mirror.


	6. Moving Mountains

Emily carried all the bags of snacks while her friends laughed and talked with each other, still excluding Emily. She didn't try to join in. She knew they didn't like to listen to her talk, nor did they care to hear her thoughts.

Finally, they made a stop at Stephanie's boyfriend's house. His dad owned the tack shop and he lived right above the shop. As he came out of the store, Emily noticed he was carrying a large bag. She groaned and knew what was coming up next. The bag was tossed at her while Brian, Stephanie's boyfriend, went to give his girlfriend a kiss.

"You look like a pack mule," Clara chuckled to Emily and shoved her slightly as Emily tried to get the heavy bag onto her shoulders.

"You guys wanna picnic off the trail?" Brian suggested. "I know an awesome secluded place by the cliffs."

"Cliffs?" Emily asked. "I don't think I can make it up the cliffs…"

"Shut up, bitch," Brian rolled his eyes, "No one asked you. Just carry the stuff like a good little lackey and maybe I'll let you take a drink of my water that I packed."

Emily nodded her head and did as she was told. Mustering up all her strength, she did her best to keep up with her friends as they stopped by their boyfriends' houses to pick them up, and then headed out of town and onto the path.

By the time they reached a wooded area, Emily was struggling to take her steps and was desperate for a break.

"C'mon, weakling," Clara gave Emily a good shove, "The hike's not that bad."

"We bought all the snacks at the store," Emily lifted the bag of goodies and drinks, "What did you pack, Brian?"

"Rocks," Brian chuckled and high fived some of the boys. When Emily gave him a horrified look he just shrugged, "What if we want to make a fire pit?"

"You planned on going to the cliffs. There will be rocks there."

"This is funnier," Brian and the rest of the group laughed. Emily just sighed. As they continued on their way, she put the bags down and reached for the water bottle at the side of the backpack. She needed a drink.

"Put that back," Steve, Clara's boyfriend, ripped the bottle from Emily's hand and then dumped it on the ground. "We didn't say you could drink."

"But I…"

"That was Brian's water. You don't drink it without permission, got it?"

Emily nodded her head, "Got it."

"Good. Now keep moving. We don't have all day."

-Samurai-

Serena dropped the mirror. She had seen enough. She wanted to get up from her spot in the bushes and run after those kids for being so mean to her little sister. Emily had spoken so highly of them the night before at the dinner table, and this was how they repaid her? They forced her to buy and carry everything and refused to let her sit down and take a drink when it was obvious she needed one.

"Don't move. You're interfering isn't going to help," Storm insisted. "These kids treated her like dirt long before you left. They won't stop now."

"I'll make sure they do."

"Serena, there's no point," Storm shook her head, "If you choose this life, you'll be headed back to the Shiba House in a couple of days. If you interfere, life's just going to be worse for her when you're gone. Just keep watching."

"I…"

"Keep watching. Trust me. I don't want you making the wrong decision."

The mirror was shaking in her grasp, and Serena did her best to focus on the events as they unfolded while staying calm.

-Samurai-

Emily finally reached the cliff side and fell forward, letting the weight of the bag overpower her. Instead of being thanked for carrying everything up to the secluded picnic spot, her friends just took the snacks and drinks from her and went to find a place to eat and have fun.

Emily removed the bag from her back and crawled over to the edge of the cliff. She looked down and could see her entire town and the surrounding farms. From here, she could even see her house. She sighed longingly, wishing she could be home with Serena and her friends. The Samurai all seemed very nice.

Suddenly, Emily felt like she was falling off the cliff.

"Scared you!" Brian had grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her to make her think she was falling. Emily screamed and closed her eyes. When she realized it was just a joke, she turned around and looked at Brian angrily, "Don't do that!"

"You're funny when you're scared," Brian then pulled her up roughly and was practically dragging her back to the others.

-Samurai-

Serena was watching in the mirror, so completely horrified by the way Emily's _friends_ were treating her. Emily wasn't a part of their group like she had claimed to be over dinner the night before. She was just there for their enjoyment.

"How could this happen? The Emily I know would never…"

"The Emily you know had some Samurai training, and a sister to run home to," Storm said. "With you fit as a fiddle, your father didn't want to push Emily into the Samurai life. She trained a little bit, but spending time with her friends turned out to be more important for her. Mainly because if she doesn't do as they say, they punish her."

"And my parents let this happen?"

"They have no idea," Storm shook her head.

Serena dropped her head in her hands and sighed. This was not what she wanted at all. She couldn't believe just how badly messed up this life was, but what really troubled her was what it all meant. It seemed that a happy life for Serena meant a terrible life for Emily.

"I suggest you start making your way up to the cliffs now," Storm put her paw on the mirror and it disappeared. Serena looked a little confused.

"You said I couldn't interfere."

"You might have to," Storm headed out of the bushes, "C'mon, Serena, we can make it there in time."

-Samurai-

"Alright, Emily," Stephanie tied a rope around Emily's waist as she explained the rules of the game they were going to play. Emily was trembling as she looked around at her friends. She never liked the games they asked her to play. When Stephanie was sure the knot was tied properly she pointed to another ledge along the side of the mountains, where a yellow flower was sitting, "You're going to climb across the mountain to get that flower, and then you're going to bring it back."

Emily gulped and looked out at the view. It was a long way down and despite her earth Samurai background, Emily was not a skilled rock climber.

"You'll be fine," Brian pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and then gave it to Emily. She looked at it, even more horrified. She knew what this handkerchief meant. "C'mon, babe. We don't have all day."

Emily winced when he used the word babe. Though she had spoken highly of him the night before, she hated her relationship with Brian. He was Stephanie's boyfriend, but he loved to mess around with Emily, sometimes while Stephanie would watch. It was a twisted relationship the three found themselves in, and the only person who didn't enjoy every minute of it was Emily. In fact, she hated the relationship.

"C'mon, bitch," Brian grabbed Emily roughly as she hesitated with the blindfold and then he ripped it out of her hands and put it over her eyes for her. He tied a tight knot and then turned Emily around, giving her a slap on the cheek, "You do as I say, got it?"

Now blind, Emily nodded her head and answered with a weak yes. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop being such a little chicken. You do this, and you'll be friends with us. We promise."

"We'll guide you to the other side," Brian's voice assured her and then Emily was suddenly lifted off the ground and carried over to the side of the mountain. Her arms were then grabbed roughly and her hands were placed on a little ledge that would hold up her weight. "On three, you start climbing sideways. If you fall, the rope will catch you, see?"

Emily felt someone pulling on the rope on her waist and she nodded her head. Really, there was nothing else she could do at this point. She was blindfolded, so she had no idea where she was going, and even if she did take the blindfold off to try and run, they basically had her on a leash.

She wiggled her nose and ears a little bit, moving the blindfold until she could see out the bottom. It wasn't much, but at least she could tell where she was putting her feet. Her hands, though, she would have to do by feel.

"Move your left hand out, there you go," for once, Emily realized her friends weren't misleading her. The last time they blindfolded her and made her follow directions she found herself constantly walking into things while they laughed. This time, they seemed to actually be helping her get across. She was still scared, but maybe they were actually going to start being a little nicer to her. Maybe she had earned her spot amongst them.

Before she knew it, she saw grass which indicated she had made it onto the other ledge. Her friends guided her to the flower, and from what little she could see out the bottom of the blindfold, she managed to find it, grab it, and pluck it from the ground.

Now it was just a matter of getting back to safety. With help from her friends, she found her way back to the mountain side and started to make her way back. Halfway through, though, the directions from her friends stopped. Emily waited a couple of seconds, and then a couple of minutes, but they were no longer helping her. Instead, she could hear them laughing.

"Guys?" she called and thought of letting go with one hand to take off the blindfold, choosing to be punished for disobeying them instead of taking a risk and falling to her death, but before her hand to leave its spot on the wall, Emily realized how stupid it would be to let go. Here she was, dangling off the side of a mountain high above her town. If she made one mistake and slipped, she was dead. Letting go would be the stupidest thing she could do.

Actually, climbing the side of the mountain was the stupidest thing she could do.

Blind, stuck, and completely helpless, Emily started to cry for her friends to knock it off and help her back, but they only started laughing louder. The name calling started: loser, cry baby, pathetic, ugly, stupid, anything they thought would hurt.

Emily sniffed as the tears soaked the blindfold and dripped down her cheeks. She didn't want to go back to her friends, but she didn't want to stay on the side of the mountain forever. Very hesitantly, she lifted her foot from the tiny ledge it had been standing on, and she tried to find another one more to the right – closer to safety. She felt a little spot in the wall that stuck out and thought it was safe to rest her foot there, but the very tiny ledge couldn't even support her weight. As soon as she tried, it broke off and fell down the side of the mountain. Emily almost went with it, but she held on tight to the rocks and crevasses that she was already grabbing.

She was sure she was going to die now. A part of her just wanted to call it quits and let go of the side of the mountain. Without her friends, there was no way she was going to make it back safely. She wasn't even sure they were holding onto the rope attached to her waist. Knowing them and their tricks, they had probably let go a long time ago.

"Be careful, Emily," Steve's voice shouted. "C'mon, come back."

"I can't," Emily hugged the side of the mountain and cried to her friends, "I'm too scared."

"Chicken shit," Brian muttered and the girls all laughed.

"Help me! Please!"

"Stop being such a baby," another girl, Alexandra, shouted to Emily. "You made it there, you can make it back. Just keep…"

"Go, go Samurai!"

Emily's friends all shielded their eyes as a bright yellow light blinded them. Already blindfolded, Emily didn't need to hide her eyes, but she heard the cry and both hoped and feared it was Serena coming to her rescue.

When the light dimmed, the kids turned around and saw the yellow Ranger stepping out of the woods. They couldn't see her expression behind her helmet, but Serena was pissed.

"No way!" Brian cried out and Emily knew he would be excited. Though the Samurai protected Panorama City many, many miles away, everyone knew who they were and what they did. Since they had first shown up, Brian had been a huge fan, hoping to one day see them in action for real. At the same time, he had the biggest crush on the yellow Ranger, in spite of the fact that he had never seen her face.

Serena just pushed her way past all of them and hurried to the side of the mountain. She looked down; recognizing this as the spot her and her mother would sometimes come to train. It was a long way down.

Then, off to the side, hanging for her life was Emily. Serena was livid to see what her friends had tricked her into doing, and even worst, what Emily had gotten herself into. Time and time again, Serena had warned Emily to stay away from people who just wanted to hurt her.

"You were Emily's protection," Storm said to Serena, "When you left, the best thing Emily could do was try to become one of them. If you can't beat them, join them."

"Emily," Serena called out, hoping not to startle her sister with her voice. One wrong move, and not even the yellow Ranger could save her.

"You… you know her name?" Stephanie asked. She too was a fan of the Rangers and was completely wide-eyed that there was one standing right in front of her. "What's my name? Do you know my name?"

"Sit down and shut up," Serena pointed to the ground and screamed. The teens all jumped and then fell to the ground. Now they could tell Serena was pissed. Serena looked back out at her sister once her _friends_ were all seated, "What the hell are you doing out there Emily?"

"I'm sorry," Emily whimpered.

Serena shook her head and pulled out her Samuraizer. Then she looked down at Storm, "Make sure none of Emily's friends leave."

Storm gave a nod and then marched over to the teenagers, circling them while giving them intense stares. The kids all gulped, finally realizing they were in big trouble.

Serena called for her team on the Samuraizer and explained she needed their help. Getting Emily to safety was going to be risky, and it was best to have all the Samurai and all the elements at her disposal. Once the others promised they were on their way, Serena looked out at her sister sadly. Aside from the trembling, Emily was paralyzed in fear, and rightfully so. She still had a long way back.

"Just hold on, Emy," Serena called, "I'll get you down."

"Help me," Emily whimpered. Serena looked down and then out at the wall she would have to climb to reach her sister. By herself, there was no way she was getting Emily back.

It didn't take long for the Samurai to come. When they emerged from the trees, the kids were all in complete awe, but a stern bark from Storm reminded them this wasn't a meet and greet. This was serious business.

"How did she get all the way out there?" the green Ranger asked the yellow while he looked around for something that would help. He noticed that at the top of the wall was another flat surface, and near the edge of that surface was a tree. Whipping out his Samuraizer, her traced a symbol and shot it up at the tree. It was high up, but the symbol reached and suddenly the branches grew out. They went down along the side of the mountain until they reached Emily. Two wrapped around her arms, two more around her legs, and a fifth around her body. They would hold her in place so she wouldn't fall.

Serena looked around for something else to do. At this point, Mike could easily get the branches to lift Emily up onto solid ground, but then she would be about a hundred feet above everyone else, and completely alone. Without Emily around to push him to improve, there was only so much Mike could do with his symbol power. Having branches pick Emily up and lift her sideways was not something he could master by goofing off.

Then Serena had an idea and looked to Mia. It seemed the pink Ranger already knew what to do and she traced a symbol. The wind around Emily picked up by blowing upwards. Now, if by some misfortune Mike's branches all snapped and Emily fell, Mia's wind would keep her suspended in midair long enough for the Samurai to come up with another plan.

Although they needed another plan now. Emily was no longer in danger of falling, but getting her back with her feet on solid ground was the real goal.

"I was never sick!" Serena suddenly cried out as another idea hit her. Due to her illness, she had fallen a little behind in her training. In this world, however, she had spent her entire life mastering her symbol power. Unlike Mike, who had less power here, she had more.

Willing the side of the mountain to move, Serena traced a symbol into the rock and then started to push it back, almost as if the mountain had been cut with Urumasa and she wanted to push the top right off. She moved the mountain just enough to create a path.

Emily's rock wall had been pulled away from her, but thanks to Mia's wind and Mike's branches, she was suspended in mid-air right by the path Serena had made. The earth Samurai ran out to her little sister and the very first thing she did was removed the blindfold.

Emily's eyes were closed. She was panicked. Serena looked over to the kids and then to her sister. She didn't care anymore. She ripped off her helmet and then touched her sister's face.

"Emily, it's me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Look at me."

Emily opened one eye and saw her sister's face. Very hesitantly she nodded her head.

"You moved the mountain?"

"Of course I did," Serena smiled. She grabbed the branches around her sister and with all her strength, she pulled her sister towards her. Kevin ran over to help and Mia changed the winds so they were pushing against Emily's back. When the three of them had Emily suspended over the path, Jayden set fire to the branches, forcing them to break and Emily dropped. Serena was quick to snatch her; terrified that she would bounce and fall off the side of the mountain and all this work would be for nothing.

The branches around Emily were still holding her tight, but they were no longer limiting her movements. Emily threw her arms around Serena and held on tightly, as if letting go of Serena meant she would fall down the side of the mountain. Serena didn't want to let go either and lifted her sister up in her arms and carried her back to the others. For some strange reason, Emily was much lighter in this universe than in the last.

As Serena reached the others, she dropped to her knees and just hugged her sister while Emily cried. This allowed Emily's _friends_ to get a clear look at her face. All at once, they gasped.

"Serena?"

Serena ignored them completely. Her identity was supposed to remain a secret, but not at the cost of her sister's safety. If she went back to the Shiba House, Ji would be furious, but Serena didn't care. She hugged her sister close and rocked her until Emily's sobs were finally calmed.


	7. The Almost Better Ending

It was very obvious now that there was something they needed to address. Emily had lied to everyone about her life, and if she thought she had to lie about something so serious, the Samurai all wanted to know why.

But first, there was something else that needed dealing with. Once Emily was calmed down enough, Serena asked the other Rangers to take her away, both for Emily's sake, and to keep the identity of the other Rangers a secret. Serena had planned on revealing her secret to the teens that were tormenting Emily, but she knew her face was a lot more comfortable and trustworthy than the face of the yellow Ranger. She was Emily's hero, not the yellow Samurai.

"Serena…"

"Go with them, Storm," Serena shooed the dog away. She didn't care what life she was in. No one bullied her baby sister. No one put her life in danger.

When Storm was gone, the teens all jumped to their feet and raced over to Serena. With the exception of her helmet, she was still in her Ranger uniform, thus reinforcing the fact that the teens weren't dreaming. The town's _IT_ girl had moved on to bigger and better things. She was a hero know nationwide, and perhaps even worldwide.

"You just went so high up on the cool scale!" Stephanie grabbed Serena's arm, feeling the spandex suit and bragging to her friends that she was the first of them to touch a Samurai Ranger. Serena muttered to herself and the grabbed Stephanie's wrist in a tight grip, warning the teen to let her go and back away slowly. Stephanie just looked up at Serena. "It's me, remember? You and my sister were best friends in elementary."

"You were friends with all out older siblings," Alexandra nodded her head, "and you were always so nice to us when you came over? Remember that? Remember us?"

Serena shoved the girls away and then gave all the teens a dirty look.

"If any of you ever think of hurt my baby sister in any way, the next monster I defeat will be you."

"C'mon, Serena. We were all just having a little fun…"

Serena turned to the boy talking, Brian, and stepped up so their faces were inches apart. She was just a little shorter, but she was so much more intimidating, even without the yellow spandex.

"I don't like your face," Serena said to him, "I trust you the least. Stay away from my sister."

"Serena…"

Serena shook her head and held up her hand, cutting them all off. Then she pulled out her phone. She did remember all of them, and the unfortunate part of living in a small town was she knew all their families by name, and she remembered how to reach them. Well, it was unfortunate for them. Serena loved every minute of what was coming up next. She pulled out her Samuraizer, which acted like a cell phone when the Rangers needed it to, and started dialling the number of their houses. If she didn't reach their parents or an authority figure, she left a message on the answering machine. When the phone calls were done, the kids all had their jaws on the ground.

"You ratted us out? We thought you were cool!"

"If I find out you were anywhere near my sister…" Serena let out a frustrated cry and then shoved Brian backwards, "Just stay away from her."

"But…"

"And not a word to anyone about who I am."

"But…"

Serena grabbed Brian's shirt and lifted him up off his feet. All her years of uninterrupted training made her very strong. Brian tried to squirm away, but he was suspended up in the air and Serena showed no signs of putting him down.

"What did I say?"

"Not a word about who you are," Brian replied fearfully. Serena nodded and set him down on the ground. Then she smoothed out his shirt and gave him a pat on the head.

"Good. Now your parents are waiting for you at home. Go."

"But…"

"GO!" Serena screamed and the kids took off running. Serena breathed a frustrated sigh, powered down, and followed the kids down the cliffs so she could find her sister and the other Samurai. When she finally found them, they were in the old field Serena and Emily used to play in when they were younger. Emily saw Serena and ran into her arms. Serena hugged her close and sat down in the grass.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mia's nurturing side was coming back. She sat down right next to Emily and was looking her over for any injuries. Emily tried to pull away, but it was already too late. Mia had rolled up her sleeves and there was nothing but black and blue where her arm was supposed to be. Serena gasped when Mia showed her the bruises.

"Emily!"

"Farm work. I…"

"Don't you dare lie to me again," Serena shook her head, "It was those kids, right?"

"They don't do it on purpose. I just… I bruise like a peach… you just touch me and…"

"Emily, stop it," Serena grabbed Emily's other arm. She saw her little sister wince and already her suspicions had been confirmed, but she wanted to see it for herself. She rolled up Emily's sleeves and to her horror she saw more bruises. "You're only protecting them by lying, Emily. Do they hurt you?"

Emily nodded her head, "Just when I don't listen to them… or when I start crying…"

"How can you let people do this to you?' Kevin asked her. "Don't you have more respect for yourself than that?"

Mia punched him hard in the chest, "Maybe she says stupid things like a certain blue Samurai."

Kevin rubbed his chest and groaned, "That's exactly what I mean. She's a Samurai…"

"I'm the family Samurai," Serena shook her head, "Emily wasn't trained to fight."

"Mom taught me a bit," Emily looked down at her hands, "but I gave up on her lessons a long time ago. What's the point, right?"

"Self-defence?" Jayden rolled his eyes. Serena wanted to hit him but she controlled herself and kept her focus on Emily.

"Kevin was a little rude about it, but he does have a point. You're better than this, Emily. Why do you let them hit you and boss you around like that?"

"I'm not better than them," Emily shook her head. "You just have to say that because you're my sister."

"I'm not your sister," Mia looked at Emily warmly, "And I think you're better than them."

"You're my sister's friend," Emily pushed herself to her feet, "I just want to go home."

"Emily, stay here and talk to us," Serena reached up and grabbed Emily's arm. Emily ripped herself away but Serena made one more attempt. She grabbed the back of Emily's shirt. Her pull lowered the collar, exposing the top of Emily's back. There were more bruises. Instead of saying anything, Serena just let go and Emily walked off. Serena hugged her knees to her chest. The bruises were everywhere.

Storm climbed up into Serena's arms, pretending to cuddle with her but really she wanted to talk.

"On the bright side, Emily doesn't feel like she has to protect you from Dekker. She also doesn't have to worry Dayu will…"

"Shut up," Serena shoved the dog away and started to head off in the opposite direction of home. The Samurai weren't too sure where to go next, but common sense and experience told them to leave an angry Serena alone, so they followed Emily to find their way back to the house. Once there, Ellie and Jack gave them an odd look.

"You kids wouldn't happen to know why the town is calling and apologizing for Emily, would you?" Jack asked and he held the phone tightly in his hand.

"Or why Emily just stormed upstairs to her room?" Ellie added.

"Emily's had a rough day," Mia said quickly, before the boys could tell the parents what really happened. It wasn't their place to give the worried parents the news.

-Samurai-

Several hours later, long after dinner, Serena was making her way back to the house. She got inside without anyone hearing and she tip-toed upstairs.

Having never fallen ill, Serena had no reason to move out of hers and Emily's bedroom and was still sharing a space with her sister. Serena could hear the chatter downstairs as her parents entertained the Samurai, but knowing the day Emily had had, she could assume her sister wasn't having fun with them.

Serena opened the door and then knocked. Emily was on her bed with her face buried into her pillow. She had changed her clothes, choosing something a bit more summer appropriate and allowing Serena to see bruises collected on Emily's arms, legs, and back. Seeing them all at once nearly made Serena sick to her stomach.

Serena sat down on the bed and gently placed her hand on Emily's back, "Emy, why didn't you tell mom and dad…?"

"Do you really think it's that easy? Their firstborn is the best yellow Samurai in generations! I'm just the flop."

"They love you, Emily, no matter what you are," Serena gently stroked her hair, "but you are not a flop."

"I just… couldn't talk to them."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to disappoint them. I didn't want to disappoint you. Before you left you told me I had to stay strong so I did, but I couldn't hold it. They just got meaner and meaner that… well, if you can't beat them…"

"Join them," Serena sighed. "Emily, no one deserves to be treated that way."

"People have treated me that way my whole life. You're the pretty one. You're the popular one. You're super smart, super talented, and you always do everything right."

"Sometimes, Emy, I screw up pretty badly."

"You never do. You've never made a bad mistake. If you do make a mistake, you always learn from it right away and it makes you better. I'm just the screw up," Emily sat up and looked right at Serena, like she was about to say something but then stopped and turned away.

"What?" Serena asked, hoping to pull it out of her. Emily just breathed a heavy sigh.

"Sometimes, I wish I could take your place. I wish I could be the cool, Samurai Ranger. I know I would be no good at it, but your friends all seem nice, especially Mia and… don't tell anyone but Mike's kind of cute. They wouldn't pick on me, would they?"

Serena shook her head and she could feel the pieces of her heart slowly falling off. In this world, Emily wanted what she already had in Serena's home world. She wanted to be the yellow Samurai.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Serena tried to warn her. "The Nighlok come after you and they try to kill you. They hurt the people you care about… it's torture…"

"I just spent the day carrying a bag full of rocks up a cliff, and then hanging off the side of it while my so-called friends laugh at me. Every day I meet up with them and pay for their snacks, their meals, their tickets, whatever they want. Then they make me sit around like a loser and…"

"And…"

"And… well… I entertain them."

"Em…"

"Not like that!" Emily quickly blurted out. "They just make me do embarrassing stuff, you know. Stuff that'll make them laugh. The other day, I had to dress up like a dog and… well, let's just say Mr. Davis doesn't like stray dogs running around on his farm."

"Mr. Davis has a dog."

"That's why he doesn't like strays. The guys made me drink out of the dog's water bowl while they took pictures. They said it was funny."

"Emily…" Serena wrapped her arms around her sister.

"When I got caught, Mr. Davis couldn't recognize me, and apparently, from where he was standing, my costume was very real. So he pulled out the shotgun and…"

"He shot you?"

"At me," Emily nodded. "I jumped to my feet and ran, and that's when he saw I was just a stupid teenager and he let me run away. My friends didn't like how I didn't stay in character. So they told me I was a bad dog and trained me to walk like one. Whenever I complained or tried to get up they hit and pushed me back down."

"Emily…"

"My legs are from when they kick at my knees to try to make me trip into lakes or the dirt. My arms are from when they grab me or if I try to leave. Then they push and shove me all the time. Their favourite game is blindfolding me and having me do stuff. Last time they made me walk into stuff. Other times they push me around so I keep falling over. They do anything they want, really."

"And there's no one around to help you? The neighbours, the other people in town, they…"

"They used to ask questions. If I said too much, they would tell the guys to knock it off, but it was my word against theirs so no one really did anything about it. Then the guys would be mad at me."

"You mentioned a boyfriend last night…"

"Brian," Emily sighed heavily again, "He's not actually my boyfriend. I just tell mom and dad that so they leave me alone. But we do make out. Stephanie watches."

"She does? Doesn't she…?"

"Brian is her boyfriend, but Brian likes to… have a little fun. Stephanie lets him mess around with me. They both enjoy it, and they don't consider it to be wrong."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not pretty enough to be considered a threat. Even Brian says so. He just puts up with me because he likes to mix things up, but doesn't want to deal with the drama of having two real girlfriends."

Emily lay back down in her bed, "I'm tired, Serena. Can we just talk about this tomorrow?"

Serena nodded her head. She didn't want to leave, but she didn't think she could hear anymore. She had no idea anyone's life could be so miserable just by having things work out as it was all originally planned. It seemed that without Serena's support, without true friends, and without the confidence that came from finding her own family, Emily was completely vulnerable and miserable. Without the yellow Ranger's responsibilities as her calling, Emily really had nothing to work for. She was too small to take over the farm by herself, and though she had gotten into a college, it wasn't a big time college; just a community college for the kids of the small town who didn't want to venture too far from their homelands.

"I'm so sorry, Emy," Serena whispered and kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too," Emily muttered and pulled the blanket over her head to try to get some sleep. Serena turned to the door and walked out of the room, quietly making sure the door closed so Emily could have some privacy. Just as she turned around, Mike came up the stairs with a plate of apple pie. Serena was instantly jealous. It seemed she had missed the evening serving.

"You're home?" Mike asked when he saw her and then shook his head. It was a stupid question. Obviously she was home. He gestured to the plate in his hands, "I would have brought up two if I had known."

"She's kind of tired," Serena whispered, "She's had a rough day."

"She's probably tired of this pie anyways," Mike shrugged his shoulders and then started to chuckle, "Who am I kidding? This is freaking amazing. I could eat this for the rest of my life and never get bored."

Mike walked past Serena and reached for the doorknob. Serena grabbed his wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"Cheering her up," Mike gestured to the plate, "This pie is freaking magic, Serena. I'm sure it'll work."

Serena was about to suggest Mike take it back downstairs but stopped herself. Storm had mentioned that what was meant to be will be, and Emily had just confessed she thought Mike was cute – which basically meant she had a crush on him. Serena also knew the kind of person Mike was around Emily. If she couldn't cheer her up, Mike could at least give it a shot.

"Go for it," Serena nodded her head.

Mike gave her a little smile and then stepped into Emily's room with the pie. It was dark so he turned on the light. Emily groaned in protest and thinking Serena had told her parents what happened, she buried herself deeper into the blankets and grumbled for her parents to leave.

"They scare me too," Mike chuckled as he approached the bed with the pie. "I mean, I don't know which one is scarier. Your lumberjack of a father, or Samurai mother."

Emily poked her head out from under the blankets and looked up at Mike nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would cheer you up with some pie," Mike placed the plate down on Emily's bed. She sat up and looked at the pie hesitantly. Serena had promised the Samurai were nice, but after the day she had had with her own friends, she felt she had a right to be a little hesitant. Deciding a Samurai could be trusted, Emily reached for the plate. Mike, for the first time, got a full view of the bruising on her arms and chest. Tears stung his eyes. He hadn't known Emily for long, but Serena spoke of her constantly, and from what he had seen at the dinner table the night before, Emily was exactly who Mike thought she was.

No, he was wrong. She was better. She had been so sweet and kind, and very excited to meet the Samurai. She had been polite and even laughed at his jokes when no one else would. And to top it all off, she was cute. His friends back home would be jealous if he showed them a picture of her.

So to see her hurt pained him. She didn't deserve this, "Sorry you had to go through that, Em."

Emily looked down at her bruises, "These aren't that bad. Physical pain only last so long. Sticks and stones."

"You don't deserve this."

"According to my friends…"

"Those jerks aren't your friends. I've been a bit of a dick, but I never would have made my friends climb a mountain. I wouldn't have done that to my worst enemy. Unless, you know, it was a Nighlok. But if we're talking humans, then that's different."

Emily bit her lip nervously, "They told me if I did it, I would be one of them. If I'm one of them, they'll stop picking on me…"

"Why do you want to be one of them?" Mike looked Emily in the eye and then scratched the back of his neck and stared at her forehead. He was nervous as well, "You're so much better than they are."

"How do you know? We've only known each other for a day."

"I just know. And Serena talks about you all the time. From what I've seen, and what I've heard, and from what I can tell, you're a really beautiful person, Emily. Inside and out. The only thing that makes you ugly is those people you hang out with."

"You… you think I'm beautiful?" Emily was blushing but she managed to make eye contact with Mike and locked it. Mike found he couldn't look away. He was also blushing.

"Well, yeah. Of course you are. I mean… look at you."

"You're just saying that," Emily finally looked away and Mike could breathe again. This was harder than he thought, but there was a little smile on her face, so it was worth it.

He decided to just go for it. She needed the encouragement, and it wasn't like he was lying to her. So he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Then he got up, reminded her that the apple pie was amazing and hurried out of the room. Emily sat in her bed and touched her cheek. She kissed a boy before, so this wasn't her first, but it was the first time a guy had shown any interest in her. She finished up the pie with a smile on her face, and then set the plate aside so she could lie down. Just when she thought she would end her day on a positive note, her cell phone beeped. She had a text message from Brian. She reached out hesitantly and looked at it.

_Y didn't u tell me ur sis was a ranger?_

Emily rolled her eyes, _You can't tell anyone._

_BTW we're meeting up 2morrow the pond B4 sunrise._

_What are we doing?_

_U got us all in trouble, fucking crybaby. U know better. Bring the Mask._

_Okay… sorry…_

_U better b. Just remember what happens if u dont show. Sissy wont always b around 2 protect u._

Emily didn't respond after that. She turned her phone off and tucked it away in her night table. She didn't want to go meet up with Brian and the others, but she didn't really have a choice. Though Serena and the Samurai were here now, they eventually needed to go back. Emily wouldn't be safe from her friends once they were gone, and her punishment would only be worse.


	8. Life Changing Decisions

Serena was having an enjoyable dream. Everyone was happy, everyone was getting along, and everything was how she wanted it. There were no tricks, no alternate life, and no talking dogs.

Then, the dream was interrupted by a cold, wet, slimy lick to the face. She groaned and rolled over in bed.

"Storm, stop. I want to sleep. I moved a freaking mountain yesterday."

"Emily's gone."

Serena sat right up in bed, "What?"

Storm jumped down to the foot of the bed and looked at Serena worriedly, "I didn't plan this, nor did I see this coming. She's gone."

"When did she leave?" Serena was already out of bed and getting changed.

"I don't know," Storm jumped off the bed and paced back and forth, "I heard your dad getting up for work and I just saw she was gone."

"Fuck," Serena muttered and opened the window. She didn't want everyone in the house going after Emily, certain it would only make things worse, "When does this trial end again?"

"Soon, I promise," Storm jumped up on Serena's back. The earth Samurai caught her and held her in her arms as she climbed down the side of the house.

"Definitely not soon enough."

-Samurai-

Emily was shaking as she approached the pond. It was a favourite spot for her friends, but she hated coming here. In her hands, she held the Mask. It was a piece of black fabric that fit over her head and acted a lot like the blindfold Brian often made her wear, but the blindfold was for games. The Mask was for punishments.

"You're late," Brian ripped the Mask from her hand and then grabbed Emily's arm, yanking her forward. She got down on her knees, understanding that's what Brian and her friends all wanted. She had done this before. "You know, because of you, I've got extra shifts at the shop. Dad says he needs to keep his eye on me."

"Our parents cut our allowance," Stephanie said and gestured to herself and the girls. "Now how are we going to buy clothes?"

"I pay for them anyways," Emily had no idea what possessed her to speak, but she knew it was a bad decision. Stephanie gasped and then whined to Brian. Brian assured her he wouldn't let Emily talk to her that way and he pulled out the duct tape. Whenever there was a punishment session, Brian always had duct tape. He ripped off a piece and placed it over Emily's mouth. The he put the Mask over her head and taped it up with duct tape around her neck. Now, even if she wanted to, Emily couldn't get the Mask off.

"Here, Steve, help her get changed into this."

Emily always hated this part. She was by the pond, so Brian always thought it would be funny to dress her up as a fish. Being a fish wasn't too bad, but getting into the costume was. Emily wasn't allowed to bring extra clothes, and Brian didn't want her going home in wet clothes, certain her parents would ask where she had been and what she had done. So she always had to strip down to her underwear and then get into the fish costume.

And Brian always asked Steve to help her. Steve grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her away. He always assured her the others couldn't see her, but Emily was certain it was a lie.

"Yo, Brian!" she heard Steve shout as she undressed. Then she started to tune everything out. Steve liked to tease her, but if she didn't hear him, his words couldn't hurt her. She just kept her focus on going home and spending the rest of the day with her sister and the Samurai – and maybe she would get to talk to Mike a little more. Were it not for the tape over her mouth, she would have actually smiled.

Steve did as he always did. He put a life vest on Emily so she wouldn't drown. Though her friends were very careless with her safety (proven by the activity the day before), they didn't want her to die and knew water was extremely dangerous. When she was near water, she always had a life vest.

Then, Steve did something he normally didn't do. He pinned her arms to her side and then Emily felt some duct tape being wrapped around her arms, keeping them pinned to her body. She felt Steve wrap the tape around and around until she couldn't move her arms at all, except at her wrists. Then she felt he did the same to her legs, taping them together. She couldn't pull them apart, but she could bend them at the knee.

Finally, he slipped the fish costume over her and then picked her up and carried her to the others. Emily blocked out their teasing and name callings as they tried to hurt her with words, believing it was only fair considering she had gotten them all punished. Instead of listening, Emily focused on her conversation with Mike and remembered the kiss he had given her. It wasn't much, but it was defiantly special.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her face, forcing her to look whoever it was in the eyes, even though she couldn't see through the Mask. He pinched her cheeks hard. Surely they were going to leave bruises that Emily would have to explain to her parents.

"Don't tell your Power Ranger sister about this, got it? She'll protect you now, but eventually she's going to have to go home, right?"

Emily nodded. Her thoughts exactly. Serena had saved her at the cliffs, but she couldn't get involved anymore. A few tears dripped down her cheeks, but they went unnoticed by the others. The torment was never going to end, and if Serena got involved, it would just get worse. Gone were the days when having Serena around would lessen the bullying. The kids knew Emily was on her own, and too scared to seek help. They could get away with anything

Then, one of the boys lifted her up. She was sure it was Brian. She heard the splashing of the water as he walked her into the pond and then dropped her into the cold water. Because of her life vest, she floated without a problem. However, the irony of the fish suit was that it got heavy when wet, making it hard to swim. Now that she was taped up, and could do nothing more but flail around like a fish, Emily had a lot of trouble moving around in the water. It was made even harder by the fact that she couldn't see anything, and her mouth was covered. She could only breathe through her nose.

"C'mon, little fishy, swim back to shore," her friends all laughed at her as they watched her flail around in the water. She knew once she made it close enough to the edge of the pond they would pull her out and that would be the end of her punishment. This time, though, she couldn't swim back. Though the life vest was keeping her at the water's surface, she struggled to stay face up.

-Samurai-

It was one of the worst searches of her life. Serena had no idea where her sister was, why she had left, or if she had left with anyone. The odds were that she was still somewhere in the farmlands or in town, but the small town's borders were huge. There were many places Emily could be.

"Laughter. I hear laughter!" Storm instantly darted off in another direction. Serena skidded to a stop and then followed her. Her senses were sharp, but they were still weak compared to Storm's.

"So she's not alone?" Serena asked.

"I don't hear her laughing, but how many farmers do you know that giggle at this time of… EMILY!"

Storm barked loudly as she approached a pond. She saw Emily's friends were standing around and they were the ones laughing while in the water was an overgrown fish who was struggling to swim. Despite her reservations about jumping into a strange pond and getting wet, Storm ran right into the water and started swimming over to Emily. When she reached the fish, she bit down on the costume and with as much strength as she could muster, she started pulling Emily back to shore.

"Idiots!" Serena shouted and shoved Brian to the ground. Now that she knew the truth about Emily's friends, she couldn't stop herself from getting angry, especially with Brian. When he was on the ground, she gave him a hard kick in the stomach. When her baby sister was in trouble, she didn't give a damn about consequences.

"A little help!" Storm shouted and she was almost near the shore. Serena left the teens alone and raced to the water. She pulled her sister the rest of the way out so she was no longer in water and then removed the fish costume.

"I'll kill them," Serena whispered. She pulled her Samuraizer from her pocket and created a small knife. She cut the duct tape from Emily's legs, then her arms, and then she cut the hood off Emily's head. Finally, she ripped the piece of tap away from Emily's mouth. Her sister gasped loudly, taking in as much air as she could now that she could breathe again.

"Serena!" Emily threw herself into her sister's arms and cried again. Serena hugged her close and then felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Clara. She was holding out a towel.

"We were just having fun."

Serena wrapped the towel around Emily, covering her up. She told Storm to stick with her sister and then she stood up. She was only a couple of inches taller than Clara, but she towered over the girl like a monster.

Brian, Clara, Stephanie, Steve, and the others in Emily's group of friends had always respected Serena. She was a legend at their high school and very well-known in town. Everyone liked her. Everyone respected her.

But everyone knew what happened when they got caught messing with her little sister. Serena was fiercely protective.

Before Serena could do anything, though, she felt two pairs of hands grab her arms and pull her back. Looking to the sides, she saw it was Jayden and Kevin holding her back. They were stopping her from doing something she was sure she would regret. They couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

"I'll fucking kill you all!"

"No, you won't," Jayden and Kevin pulled her away to calm her down. Mike and Mia, meanwhile, were sitting with Emily, trying to comfort her.

Serena was pulled away from the scene and when she was far enough, the boys finally let her go. Serena walked away from them for a few paces before turning back around and shouting, "In less than twenty-four hours they nearly kill her twice."

"And you're not going to be the better person for threatening them," Kevin reminded her. "You're a Samurai. You have honour and…"

"I'm a sister first," Serena shook her head. Kevin and Jayden tried to hold her back, but Serena shoved them aside and raced over to Emily. She grabbed her little sister in her arms and hugged her tight.

"I'm going to make it all go away," she whispered in Emily's ear, "I promise, I'm going to take you with me and you're going to be safe. How does that sound?"

Emily buried her head in Serena's shoulder and nodded. Serena continued, gently stroking Emily's back, "You'll have friends who'll protect you instead of bully you. You'll find a boyfriend who loves you for you. The only downside is that I'll screw up, but I'll screw up because I love you."

"I wanna go with you!" Emily sobbed loudly and held on tightly to Serena. Serena didn't let her go, but turned her attention to Storm. She no longer cared if the others saw her talking to a dog, or if they thought she was losing it. She wanted to make this the end of her trial. She knew what her decision was going to be. It was painfully clear every decision she was going to make had an impact on her family – on Emily. Her actions, whether good and bad, changed all their lives, but now it was obvious that life had a way of working itself out, in spite of all the hardships. It put everyone where they needed to be. Serena needed to learn to embrace that.

And after this experience, she had.

"I want to undo the symbol, Storm. I don't want this. I don't want any of this."

"Close your eyes," Storm instructed and Serena did as she was told, after giving Emily a kiss on the forehead and swearing everything would be better.

From what she could hear and feel, the world slowly faded away. Emily's sobs were first to go, then the muttering from the other Samurai and the teens, and then, finally, Emily's body disappeared from Serena's arms. She tried to hold on to her sister, afraid of losing her, but the spell had its way. Eventually, Serena was lifted up to her feet and a steady beep replaced her sister's cries. Serena opened her eyes and started to cry. The bruising hadn't disappeared from Emily's body. In fact, they were bigger and darker, and joined by scrapes and cuts, many of which had been stitched back up.

"Doctor says she'll be fine," a hand was placed on Serena's shoulder. "She didn't break anything."

Serena turned around and saw the voice and the hand belonged to Antonio. If he was here, she knew she was back in her world. Serena turned to the TV, which was turned on to the news, showing pictures of the accident, but Serena wanted to know the day and time. She saw she had been dropped off only a few hours after the accident.

"… _Friends and family didn't want the victim's name to be released, but she's in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery_. _In other news…"_

Serena turned away from the TV. Antonio and the news anchor had just promised Emily would be okay, but it didn't look that way. She took her sister's hand and held it gently.

"Pst! Serena!"

Serena heard her name and followed the voice over to the window. Storm was sitting outside on the ledge and was calling her. Confused, because Storm wasn't supposed to be talking, Serena claimed she needed fresh air and walked out of the hospital. She met up with Storm in the hospital's park.

"You shouldn't be talking," she put her arms on her hips and glared at the dog.

"Emily's going to be okay," Storm assured her.

"Last time I was here, she died. How can you say…?"

"She died before the ambulance turned up," Storm reminded Serena, "She's in the hospital recovering now. She'll be bouncing around soon, I promise."

"Why did you leave me here? Why couldn't you bring me back to before I used the symbol? Before she was hit by a car?"

"You expect life to be too easy," Storm shook her head and smirked, "Just remember, Serena, everything happens for a reason. Learn to embrace it, learn to take advantage of it."

"Just get her out of that hospital!"

"I can't. No pets allowed," after that, Storm's words turned to barking, and the dog was jumping around frantically, trying to nudge Serena's feet. The dog was obviously very upset, just like Serena. Realizing things were going back to normal Serena sighed and picked up Storm. It was going to be hard sneaking her past the hospital staff, but she wasn't about to leave the dog outside.

"Work with me," Serena whispered and hugged Storm tight to her chest, pretending the dog was just a plush toy. She fooled the staff and made it all the way back to Emily's room without a problem. There, she opened the door and heard some light laughter. She leaned against the wall and smiled when she saw Emily was awake, and the other Samurai were doing their best to keep her happy and comfortable. Antonio, as usual, was acting like a big goof by pretending to be Emily's doctor, but Emily knew more about the hospital equipment than he did, and giggled as she corrected him.

Mike was laughing along, but he was sitting on the side of the bed with one arm wrapped loosely around Emily. Mia was also laughing, but was trying to keep Antonio from messing with things he had no business messing with. Kevin was trying to hold back a laugh, and Jayden just hung his head, letting a few chuckles escape, but seemed to be embarrassed by Antonio's failed impersonation of a doctor.

"AHA!" Antonio finally noticed Serena and Storm and took the dog from Serena's arms, "This is exactly what the doctor ordered. One puppy. Shall we inject orally?"

"EW! No!" Emily reached out and grabbed Storm in her arms, hugging her dog close, happy to have her back. Then Emily giggled and swatted Antonio's arm, "You're the worst doctor I've ever seen!"

"I am hurt," Antonio huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I didn't spend nineteen years in medical school to be insulted by my patient.

"Nineteen years?" Jayden shook his head, "Oh, Antonio."

"What?"

"If it took you nineteen years to complete medical school, maybe I don't want you as my doctor," Emily giggled.

"It took my nineteen years because I have a super degree," Antonio explained. "I'm the world's best doctor ever."

Emily hid her face in Storm's fur and then rolled over and nestled into Mike, trying to hide her laughter.

Serena had a big, bright smile on her face. Life was definitely better here.


	9. Pretty Damn Lucky

The other Samurai were out running errands. Mike and Kevin were getting groceries because the house was running low on food, while Antonio and Jayden had gone fishing for fun and for stock. Mia, meanwhile, was at the pharmacy with Mentor Ji, stocking up on a few supplies they would need for Emily. She was doing very well after the accident, having suffered no major injuries, but if the Samurai wanted her to heal quickly, they were going to need the best medicine they could get.

That left Serena at home with Emily, and with Emily spending most of her day asleep in bed, Serena had the house to herself and Storm. Fortunately, unlike in the other world, Storm couldn't talk. She kept Serena company without being a know-it-all. That meant Serena was left with her thoughts, and a lot of them revolved around Emily.

She understood the mistake she made and was thankful whatever higher power had given her a trial instead of making the symbol work right off the bat. Thanks to that, Serena now knew she had to embrace the life she had been given, flaws and all. Changing one little thing had a huge impact on not just her life, but the lives of everyone around her.

She had spent most of her life blaming herself for Emily's misfortunes, thinking she had given Emily too much to live up to, or had forced her sister into a life she didn't want. Emily was, technically, living Serena's life. But now that she had seen what would have happened had Emily never been forced to become the yellow Ranger, she was sure there was something looking after her sister; something smarter than herself.

And, most importantly, Serena's eyes were opened. She had spent so much of her time worrying about Emily, that she had neglected to deal with her own issues – her own insecurities. Emily really was very happy with her life, and she had learned to make the best of everything fate threw her way. Serena had been the one who needed a kick in the butt. Serena was the one who had been miserable, but she didn't need to change anything about herself or her life to find happiness, she just needed to do as her sister had done. She needed to be more like Emily. She needed to learn to make lemonade.

She had done exactly that. The weather was hot, and even with the air conditioning, the Shiba House was also hot. So instead of making tea for her sister, she made lemonade. Lemonade and apple pie: Emily's favourite summertime dessert. She carried the drink and pie into Emily's bedroom and set them down in the night table before gently shaking her sister awake.

"Life's been giving me a whole lot of lemons."

Emily rolled over in her bed and gave her sister a curious look. Serena sat down and helped Emily sit up comfortably by adjusting the pillows behind her. Then she checked over a few of the bandages to make sure they hadn't been rubbed out-of-place while Emily had been sleeping.

"Everything looks good," Serena smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"You woke me up with a weird statement," Emily rubbed her eyes. It was obvious she wanted to continue sleeping. Serena remembered these moments, where the medication that needed to be taken knocked her right out and kept her down for hours. But it was very rare that the girls got the house to themselves and Serena wanted to take advantage of that fact to talk with Emily without being interrupted.

Serena decided to make the wakeup call a little better and surprised her sister with the slice of apple pie. Emily's eyes were still very tired, but they did light up. Serena's pies were nowhere near as amazing as their mother's, but they were still better than most.

Emily savoured every bite of the pie while Serena resumed the little checkup. Though there were no major injuries to worry about, and everyone expected Emily to be back on her feet in a matter of days, Serena was still being careful. She knew just how dangerous even the most insignificant of injuries or illnesses could be if ignored. She was a little too cautious though as Emily started flinching, trying to move away.

"Stop, I'm okay."

"I'm really sorry, Emy."

"I ran into traffic. I can't remember why, but I did. I'm sorry I scared you."

Serena nodded her head. She couldn't remember what had actually happened now that the accident had changed so Emily hadn't died. Unfortunately for Serena, that meant she was going to have to live with the image of Emily dying in her arms – because as far as she was concerned, Emily had died. This was a second chance. Tears welled up as she thought about the accident, and then about the symbol she had used. She thought about how, if the symbol had done what it was supposed to do, without the trial run, the last time Serena would have seen Emily truly happy would have been right before she died. After that, it would have been watching a different version of Emily recover after spending so many years pushed aside and tortured by the people she called her friends. It also hurt to think Storm had only been Serena's guide because of the trial, and she had been a key part in making sure Emily was safe – a word Serena disagreed with – throughout the entire journey. Had there been no trial, Serena would have been thrown into her new world, would have ignored what was truly going on with her sister because of her unwillingness to believe the new world wasn't better, and it was possible Emily would have died. Storm had brought Serena to the mountainside to save Emily. Serena never would have gone on her own, and Emily would have likely fallen.

Luck. It was nothing but luck. Had Serena not been so damn lucky, Emily would be dead.

"Are you crying?" Emily's voice reminded Serena she wasn't alone. She wiped her tears with the back of her wrist and then shook her head.

"Leaking."

Emily set her plate down and wrapped her arms around Serena, "I'm okay. You were right there, like you always are. I wasn't even scared."

This made it harder for Serena to hold back her tears. In her version of the events, the version where Emily had died, she hadn't been scared. Emily had stayed strong. She had been miserable and in a lot of pain from being hit, but she had been the one to comfort Serena. The last thing she had done, right before she died, was put a smile on her face for Serena's sake. A smile that couldn't be faked. No one who lived a life of misery would end it so early with a smile.

Stupid. Before being so lucky, Serena had been extremely stupid.

"Stop crying," there was a subtle tone of sadness in Emily's voice as she continued to hug her sister, "You're going to make me cry. I'm okay, I promise, and I'll stay away from cars from now on."

"I did something stupid, Emy."

"Of course you did," Emily chuckled. "You're my sister. You're always doing stupid stuff."

"I did something really stupid."

"Did you learn from it?" Emily pulled away from Serena and gave her sister a comforting smile. Serena nodded her head. She had learned a lot from her mistake. Were it not needed to stop Xandred and the Nighlok, Serena would throw her Samuraizer away and would never, ever think of touching it again. Symbols were unpredictably dangerous.

Emily crawled into Serena's lap and nestled into her sister's arms, still trying to be of comfort to the white Ranger who couldn't stop '_leaking'_. "If you did something stupid, and you learned from it, it's not really something stupid. You taught me that, remember?"

Serena nodded her head. She did remember, "But this is different, Emily."

"Not really. You have to stop being so hard on yourself, Serena," Emily started to giggle, "You're starting to sound like me."

"You've always been so much stronger than I have," Serena shook her head, "You've had so much weighing you down and…"

Emily interrupted Serena with a huff and sat up straight so she was looking her sister in the eye, "Repeat after me: I am a good person."

"Emily…"

"I am a good person."

Serena rolled her eyes. She used to do this with Emily when Emily would be constantly putting herself down, "I am a good person."

"I am strong and smart, and nobody is allowed to judge me."

"I am strong and smart, and nobody is allowed to judge me."

"I will let Emily sleep while I go to the kitchen to make ice-cream sandwiches like James makes, so that Emily has another dessert to wake up to in a few hours."

"I will… hey," Serena gently shoved her sister off her lap and got up.

"You have to repeat after me," Emily giggled, "and you have to mean it. It doesn't work if you don't mean it."

Serena picked up the empty plate and gave her sister an annoyed but playful look, "I will think about it."

"Please?" Emily put her hands together and stuck out her lower lip, "I love you. I love you so, so, so, so much."

Serena wanted to look away, but it was too late. The look had gotten to her, "You're lucky you're cute."

"Yes!" Emily threw her hands up in the air, "You're awesome."

"Remember that for when the story of what I did comes up," Serena smiled. Then she started for the door, leaving Emily alone for some rest, certain her sister would be dreaming of cookies and ice-cream. Before she was gone, though, a thought crossed her mind. She turned around and looked at her little sister. "Em?"

"Yeah."

"If Xandred asked you to join the dark side, would you?"

"No."

"What if he said they had cookies."

"Maybe."

Serena nodded her head, "Thought so."


End file.
